Trouble in paradise
If Lindy Bell had her way, she’d still be in L.A., partying and angling for her next acting job. But a crisis at the family’s resort has surfaced, and who can ignore the call of duty? Still, duty would be easier to take if she didn’t have a bratty kid making trouble. Too bad the dad, Gabe Weston, can’t seem to put down his phone long enough to see his daughter needs his attention.
When Lindy points out to Gabe the error of his ways, sparks fly and she has his undivided attention. Unexpectedly, the three of them—Lindy, Gabe and his daughter—bond in a serious way. Such a serious way, in fact, that Lindy may be auditioning for a new role she never considered before....
“I don’t do casual.”
Gabe’s solemn expression added weight to his warning.
“And I don’t do relationships...at least not well,” Lindy amended with a subtle frown. “So what do we do?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? I don’t think that’s going to work. We’re both dealing with some hefty attraction, right? I mean, I know I’m not in a one-sided situation in this. So...maybe we should just kiss and get it out of our system and see what happens.”
“I know where kissing leads,” Gabe said, his eyebrow lifting in a sexy yet sardonic arch that Lindy found insanely attractive. “Don’t you?”
“I have an idea,” she murmured, biting her lip against the surge of arousal that followed his silky statement. “And that’s bad?”
Dear Reader,
Lindy and Gabe...what can I say about them, other than wow. Simply put, I loved writing their love story because both needed to grow and change before they were ready for the commitment of a relationship. And they did so, beautifully.
Peeling back the layers of complex people is one of the perks of my job as a writer, and I had a ball exposing these characters’ vulnerable spots for all the world to see. It’s a deep, soulful journey that I hope you will enjoy as you spend some more time at Larimar with the Bells as they live and learn as a Family in Paradise.
You won’t want to miss Lilah and Justin’s story, Something to Believe In, coming in January 2013.
Hearing from readers is a special joy. Please feel free to drop me a line via email through my website at www.kimberlyvanmeter.com, or by snail mail at Kimberly Van Meter, P.O. Box 2210, Oakdale, CA 95361.
Kimberly Van Meter
Kimberly Van Meter
Playing the Part
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kimberly Van Meter wrote her first book at sixteen and finally achieved publication in December 2006. She writes for the Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin Romantic Suspense lines. She and her husband of seventeen years have three children, three cats and always a houseful of friends, family and fun.
To my firstborn son, Sebastian,
as he finishes one journey to start another.
I hope you find every success out there
in the world. I love you.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
LINDY BELL STARED in growing horror, the plunger dangling from her fingertips ineffectual against the choking, gurgling and overflowing toilet that was burping water all over the tiled floor of Bungalow 2 at her grandparents’ resofrt, Larimar. She jumped out of the way before disgusting toilet water washed over her flip-flops. Oh, yes, most definitely, without a doubt—this was hell. And she was going to kill her sister for dragging her here and then putting her on maintenance detail just because she knew the difference between a Phillips head screwdriver and a flat head.
Normally, Heath Cannon—her sister’s boyfriend—was in charge of the maintenance but he’d fallen off the roof and banged himself up pretty bad so he wasn’t going to be any help for a while. It wasn’t that she minded pitching in—hell, she was here,